She's the One
by Meegan Boulton
Summary: John finally decides that Claire is the one for him... but will it be smooth sailing for the Sun Hill's favourite couple?
1. Picture Perfect

Disclaimer: I do not have any contact with The Bill, Pearson, ITV or anything else Bill related.  
  
Thanks to: Russ for being such a gorgeous man, Jayne for all of her help and giving me loads of great ideas, and my mate Jess, who not having ever seen an episode of The Bill in her life and had no idea who John and Claire were, was still able to inspire me and help create this story during boring Math classes  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
Chapter 1 - Picture Perfect  
  
John and Don sat in the car, coffees in hand, staring out at an old, disused brick yard, waiting for an apparent meeting with two of Sun Hill's biggest drug barons.  
  
"So how's Claire?" Don broke the silence  
  
"She's good, really good." he replied, not giving much away. Ever since they had gone public with their relationship, they had been on cloud nine, above that even. Although the team at Sun Hill had been shocked that they were together, no one hesitated to say that they made the perfect couple. They congratulated Claire on making John the happiest man he'd been in a VERY long time.  
  
"So you guys are really serious, yeah"  
  
"Yeah we are. I love her, and every day I thank god that she came into my life"  
  
"Wow - John Boulton embracing religion and god, she must have a real effect on you mate"  
  
"I guess she does. listen, we're supposed to finish this up in about half and hour. Would you be able to help me out with something?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"D'you want a beer?" John asked, walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah sure" Don replied. "So what's this big thing you want the Don's help with?"  
  
John placed a small ring box on the table in front of him.  
  
"That's not what I think it is, is it?" asked Don, shocked that THE John Boulton was considering marriage.  
  
"Open it up, and tell me what you think" Don opened the box slowly. "Oh mate" he said, astounded at its beauty. "She's gonna love it, I promise you"  
  
"I hope so" he replied. For more than five minutes, they just sat there, looking at the ring. It was an antique, belonged to John's great grandmother. The white gold shone in light of the sun, illuminating the princess cut sapphires and the perfect round diamond that sat in the middle.  
  
"It's our first anniversary on Friday. I just have no idea how to do it, that's all"  
  
*~*~*  
  
John looked around the CID office. Mickey was asleep after a heavy night, and Kerry sat at her desk, going through witness statements on a burglary case. John walked up to her.  
  
"Kerry, can I talk to you for a sec?"  
  
"Sure sarge, what can I do for you?"  
  
"Not here, come out into the yard with me"  
  
"So what's up? What do you need me for?" she asked. The yard was empty, and so there was no chance of them being over heard. John didn't want his little surprise reaching Claire through the station's gossip network.  
  
"Well, you know me and Claire right" he began "it's our one year anniversary tomorrow, and I want to propose to her but."  
  
"You mean you're going to ask her to marry you?" she exclaimed  
  
A smile spread across his face. "Yeah. I have a ring and all, but I just don't know when's the right time, how to do it and all that. You're Claire's best friend, how do you think she'd like it done?"  
  
"Um. do you have the ring with you? Can I see it?"  
  
"Yeah sure" He took the box out of his pocket, and opened it up. Kerry gasped at what she saw. "It belonged to my great grandmother, and I think it says Claire all over it. Look on the inside". On the inside of the ring, John had inscribed, "Claire, I love thee".  
  
"Oh, John. it's beautiful. She'll says yes, I just know it"  
  
"I hope so. So, what ideas do you have?"  
  
"Well, it's spring now, it's the best time of year for a romantic picnic in the setting sun. Is there a park or something you go to together, or anywhere else that's special?"  
  
John's eyes lit up. "Kerry, you're a star, thank you," he said, pecking her on the cheek.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The next day, John was worried. He was in the middle of Sainsbury's and had no idea what food would constitute a romantic picnic. He dialed Kerry's number.  
  
"Kerry, I need you help," he said, as soon as she picked up the phone.  
  
"What's up?" she sighed, expecting this phone called all day.  
  
"I'm in Sainsbury's. I have no idea what to buy"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be down in five"  
  
She found him standing in front of the deli counter looking at all the different types of cheeses.  
  
"You going Ok?" she asked, smiling at him.  
  
"Oh Kerry, thank god you're here. It's nearly six I've been here for an hour and I still have no idea what to buy. I mean, look at all this. What the hell is bocconcini?"  
  
"Here" she said, taking the basket from him. "You go home, get yourself sorted out, I'll buy the food and have it set up for you at the rooftop. I'll be gone by seven, every thing will be perfect, and you'll have nothing to worry about"  
  
"Thanks Kerry" he said, giving her a hug "I owe you"  
  
"Don't worry about it, you just worry about Claire ok. Good luck!" she called, as he strode out the door.  
  
*~*~*  
  
That night, John was sitting in the living room when Claire got in. He was so excited, he could barely contain himself, but he knew that he had to keep his little surprise a secret.  
  
"Hi John" she called out, dumping her stuff on the bed. After being in court all day, she couldn't wait to just collapse into his arms for the night  
  
"Hi" he replied, "How was it?"  
  
"Good, should be all done by the end of the week" she said, kissing him.  
  
"Well, you are to forget about that for the rest of the night. I have a little surprise for you?"  
  
"Oh really? What would that be then?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Well, if I told you now it wouldn't be a surprise would it? Come on, let's go," he said, taking her by the hand.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked  
  
"To the stars" he replied.  
  
*~*~*  
  
They walked up the metal stairway to their rooftop. He saw the picnic that Kerry had set out; the film screen all set up, and turned around to face Claire.  
  
"Now, shut your eyes" he said  
  
"Why? What have you got up there?" she giggled  
  
"No, come on, you have to" she shut her eyes, allowing herself to be guided to the spot where there was a picnic blanket set out, champagne, cheeses, strawberries. John couldn't help but giggle to himself, it reminded him of their last night of strawberries and champagne. She stopped and he placed his arms around her shoulders.  
  
"Happy Anniversary" he said, as she opened her eyes.  
  
"Oh John, look at this! Oh thank you" she exclaimed turning around to face him.  
  
"You know how you couldn't see the stars from our balcony, I thought I'd bring the stars to you"  
  
*~*~*  
  
She sat in his arms, sipping champagne, delighting in the beautiful chocolate-coated strawberries that even Mr. Oliver himself couldn't beat.  
  
"John, what's that screen over there?" she asked, pointing to the wall, where a projection screen hung.  
  
"Well, I don't know about that, we'll have to see"  
  
Suddenly, a picture appeared on the screen. A little girl, aged about 2, sitting in the bath, bubbles all over her, a cheeky grin on face  
  
"JOHN!" she cried, "Where the hell did you get that?" she collapsed in laughter. "I can't believe. where did you get that?" She stopped suddenly when she saw a photo of another child, this time a little boy with bright red hair, his foot sitting on top of a football. She couldn't help but laugh  
  
"I thought you hated football," she said  
  
"I did. my dad made me play, thought I'd be the next striker for Liverpool United"  
  
The photos continued. Claire was so touched by the effort he had made to make the night as perfect as possible. The last graphic came up.  
  
"John? Is that the wrong slide?" she asked, turning around. He held the little box in his hand, the sparkle of the diamond illuminated by the light of the moon.  
  
"Claire." he began "I love you, I loved you the moment I set eyes on you. I want to shout out to the world that I love Claire Stanton, and that I'll never let her go. Will you marry me?"  
  
Claire couldn't stop the tears flowing down her face. She flung her arms around his neck. "Of course I will," she sobbed. He took the ring out of its box, and placed it on her finger.  
  
"It fits. it's perfect" she whispered, as he kissed her softly.  
  
The sound of the single clarinet playing caught Claire's attention, as John got to his feet.  
  
"May I have this dance?" he asked  
  
They moved slowly to the familiar strains of Benny Goodman's Memories of You. "John, this is so perfect. Thank you" she whispered.  
  
"I'm just lucky to have someone like you in my life. My life literally can't get any better than this" 


	2. Truth

Chapter 2 - Truth  
  
John groaned as the clock radio began to blare out the voices of Russ and Jonno. He couldn't get how those two could be such comedians at 6:30am. He stretched his arms out, his hands resting on Claire's waist.  
  
"Morning gorgeous" she said groggily, leaning over to kiss him. Her head rested on his chest as she began to think about the things she had to do that day. One of them included a visit to her "mother" before work. She couldn't bear lying to John again, but it had to be done.  
  
"Come on, John" she whispered, "time to get up."  
  
"No. too early. no work today"  
  
"Yes, we can't be late again, Meadows will kill us. Come on, get up now and I might even let you scrub my back."  
  
It didn't take John a second to reply. "Ok"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"You ready yet, Claire?" John called into the bathroom. Why on earth did it take women so long to get ready for work, he wondered, but he knew to keep his nose out of it.  
  
"Hey John, you go on ahead, I need to drop in on mum so I'll see you at the office later" she replied as she walked into the living room.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah I just want to make sure she's alright"  
  
"Ok" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her. "I'll see you later"  
  
"Course you will" she said "Bye"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"John" called Jack, as he walked into the office. "We need you on surveillance. There was another attack on a Jewish man in Sharrows Park last night, and this weekend is Rosh Hashanah, so Mr Brownlow doesn't want to take any chances"  
  
"Do we have any idea who might be involved? Any distinction between either Nazi or Palestinian sympathisers?"  
  
"Not as yet, no. But what we do know is that they're a large group of young men, and they dress in black jackets. I want you in the car watching the park with Don, Mickey will be on the other side, near the pond. Nick Klein has volunteered to be our bait"  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea Gov?"  
  
"He'll be up to it. He says a lot of his friends live in that area and he wants to be as part of this operation as possible"  
  
"Right. I'll be getting over then"  
  
"Just be careful. Uniform will be providing backup, and please, no heroics this time ok?"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Why the hell did you want to see me on the patch? Don't you realise you could be compromising your position?" Hodges demanded  
  
"Gov, to be honest with you, I really don't care any more" Claire complained. "It's been going on far too long, well over a year, I have been lying to my friends, my family, and my colleagues and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to put up with this charade."  
  
Hodges noticed the ring on her finger. "Claire, what's that?' he asked coldly  
  
"Oh, haven't I told you the happy news" she replied sarcastically. "John and I are getting married"  
  
Hodges couldn't believe it. "I don't believe you Claire. You're going to ruin this hole operation"  
  
"No Gov, you're ruining the operation. I told you months ago that I wanted to be pulled out but you didn't. I haven't done anything Gov, except fall in love, and I don't care what you or anyone else at CIB thinks of that. I love John, I love him with all my heart, and nothing is going to ruin that"  
  
*~*~*  
  
"So, how are the wedding plans coming along?" Don asked, as he John sat in the car, overlooking Sharrows Park.  
  
"Pretty good, Claire wants spring, says all the flowers will be out and it'll be really pretty, so that sounds nice. We haven't decided where though. Neither of us is religious, so we're kind of looking at the prospect on Canley High road"  
  
"Sounds perfect mate. You known, when my brother got married." Don went on, as John stared out the window, his binoculars focused on two people sitting in the park.  
  
Who the hell was that man talking to Claire, thought John. He knew her mother lived over the other side of Canley, and as for brothers, well; it was just her and her sister Linda. John pulled out his phone and dialled John's number.  
  
Over the other side of the park, Claire's phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. She sighed as she cancelled the call.  
  
"Who was it?"  
  
"No one. look, either you get me out or you'll have my resignation in the morning," Claire threatened  
  
"Look Claire, just think about it. You hang in there just a little longer and we'll nail him, and then you'll be free to do what ever you want"  
  
Claire had had enough. She got up and left Hodges, striding over to her car, getting away from Sharrows Park as fast as she could, all the while not noticing the familiar blue car across the road.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Guv, have you seen John? He hasn't been around all day" Claire asked, happy to be at the end of the shift  
  
"No, he's been on observation all day with Don and Mickey over at Sharrows Park. Say he's probably gone home, the guys they nabbed aren't talking without a brief, and they won't be here til the morning"  
  
"All day? Was he there this morning?"  
  
"Yeah, started about 8:30 over on the High street side, near the cinema. Is there a problem?"  
  
Claire struggled to grasp the information. Sharrows Park, cinema side at 8:30. That means he would have seen her with Hodges, she thought, worried that John's scouse temper would lead him to the very wrong conclusion.  
  
"You up for a drink tonight Claire?"  
  
"No, I think John will be waiting for me" she replied, softly, all the while thinking about what she was going to say to the man she loved.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The flat was in absolute darkness as Claire opened the door. The mail still sat at the door, untouched, and as she bent down quietly to pick the up, a voice called out to her  
  
"So, who is he Claire?"  
  
"John? What are you doing in the dark?" she asked, hoping that somehow she might be able to skirt over the subject.  
  
"Oh, don't play dumb with me Claire. I saw you to in Sharrows Park this morning, when you said you'd be visiting your mother"  
  
"Oh, him. He's. he's just an old friend"  
  
"Oh don't lie to me Claire. I know you wouldn't be meeting an old friend in the Jewish part of town at that hour of the morning!"  
  
"Don't John, please" Claire begged, as she felt the warm tears fall down her face. "It's not what you think it is, really"  
  
"Give me one good reason why I should believe you. Have you been lying all this time? What do I really know about you?"  
  
"This is all of me John. And you should know me enough o know that I'd never hurt you, no matter what"  
  
"You're going pretty good so far" he commented. "Just tell me the truth," he whimpered, his emotions quickly taking over him as he leant against the bedroom dresser, his head down, shaking.  
  
"Ok. but you must promise me that you will never repeat this to anyone. I've hated having to keep this secret from you, but they made me do it."  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
With a shaky hand, Claire handed over her official warrant card. For what seemed like forever, John just stared at it. Claire Elizabeth Stanton, CIB.  
  
"I'm so sorry" she whispered, breaking the icy silence between them. "I didn't think it would go on for this long"  
  
"Is it me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is it me you're investigating? Is that why you're with me? Just so you can get some result and then run out of my life, never to return"  
  
"No, John, please it's not like that" she cried  
  
"Then what is it like, Claire? What is it?"  
  
"Its. its Don"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've been following Don ever since I came to Sun Hill. I was placed here under the command of Superintendent Hodges from CIB to investigate him for corrupt conduct."  
  
"You what? He's my best mate!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. That's why I found it so hard to tell you. I love you so much John, I want us to get married, be happy. I just hope that you want the same"  
  
John looked the ground. He couldn't believe that both Don and Claire had betrayed him. Don was supposed to be his best mate, he knew that Don was dodgy, but not dodgy enough to have CIB on his case.  
  
"John? Are you Ok?" "I. I just can't believe it. Don's my best mate and I didn't even notice his dodgy dealings. Do the guv'nors know about this?"  
  
"No. Just me. If you want to end it John. I understand. I know that I have lied to you, and I'm so sorry, but if you want me to go, just say the word, and I'll go. Back to Oxford, you'll never see me again"  
  
John pondered on her words for what seemed hours. "No"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I love you Claire. I've loved you since the first time I set eyes on you, and I want you in my life, no matter who you are"  
  
"Are you serious. you still love me?"  
  
"Of course I do. nothing, no one, not Don, not your Super, no one will break our love. I love you, always remember that" he told her, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel" she replied. "This makes our love stronger than ever" 


End file.
